Bend to Boise

We skipped breakfast in Bend and hit the road early, pointed towards Boise. It turns out that there isn't much along SR 26... and Brothers, OR is nothing like Sisters, OR. We made our Camp Oats at a pull out which asked us to not camp on their lawn. I couldn't find the lawn, so I don't think they have much trouble with people camping on it.

Brothers, OR

 The long, flat drive eventually became winding as we dropped off the plateau and down towards the Snake river. We crossed the border at Ontario and finally pulled into our overnight stay in downtown Boise. As usual, I dragged M to Bar Gernika for kroketak and kalimotxo. While he still doesn't like kalimotxo, M did get his own order of kroketak this time!

In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel (with some teachers from Troy!) and then headed out to hike Table Mountain. It's a very popular hike, and the weather was supposed to be warm... so we tried to hit the trail early!

Spring on the Boise hills

To get to Table Rock, drive to the east end of town and park next to the old Penetentiary. Then, pick any trail and wind uphill... and uphill... until you reach the flat peak of the mesa! According to Geo 315 from MSU, "Table Rock is composed primarily of nearshore lacustrine sediments deposited along the margins of Mio-Pliocene Lake Idaho." Essentially, there are 2 layers of sedimentary rock. The top layer of pinkish rock sits on a softer layer of pale yellow, which is much eroded and leaves overhangs, cracks, and graffiti'd walls.

We made it back to our hotel in time to have "second breakfast." After showering and checking out, we went to help set up the wedding reception that was our excuse for being there... it was already set up, so we spent our afternoon throwing a football and eating ice cream. That night, Marcus did the entire 8.5 hour drive home in a single shot. We dragged ourselves into bed at 5am, as the morning light was faintly outlining the Cascades. It was good to be home!